Becoming a minimalist: ridding stuff to regain space and time

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Anne Ku

For a long time, I have wanted to simplify my life, let go of things, live with less, and free up space and time for what I really enjoy and desire instead of feeling like a slave to my possessions. I even compiled a two-page newsletter of the short blog posts I had written about clutter back in 2004 and declared myself a minimalist. Despite my good intentions, I am far from reaching my goal. It’s a constant struggle not to acquire and to let go. Without letting go, it’s difficult to move on.

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I want to ride my bicycle

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Anne Ku

I want to ride my bike.

I want to ride my bicycle.

I want to ride it well.

I want to ride my bicycle.

I want to ride it where I like.

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Performing piano premieres: Nicola Meecham

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Anne Ku

Would you go to a concert taking place in a new venue you have never heard of, performed by a pianist you have never heard of, playing music that has not yet been performed much less recorded, written by composers you have never heard of? That was often the challenge when I was producing concerts in the Netherlands. How do I get people to come to these concerts?

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the unfamiliar. But the unfamiliar need not be uncomfortable. Without premieres of new works, we would never hear new compositions which challenge conventional repertoire and outlive the status quo to become masterpieces that pass the test of time.

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Day dream job believer

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Anne Ku

One reason I resist getting on the job-seeking trail is that I get totally sucked into a job once I get one. For me, there is no such thing as a 9 to 5. I become completely loyal to the job and the institution so that there is no separation of work and play. Work is play.

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Public releasable: documents for public release, freely downloadable

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Anne Ku

These days, I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to download sheet music, academic papers, e-books, recordings, and videos to my heart’s content. With the right keywords, I can find just about everything I want online. Much of the current state of transparency has to do with a change of mindset: making the exclusive inclusive.

In the past, I’ve actively contributed freely downloadable content by uploading and blogging about my own arrangements and compositions (sheet music and audio recordings). However, when domain names expire and not get renewed or when a new webmaster takes over, what used to be free may get lost.

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From concert to entertainment: Earth Day celebrations

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Anne Ku

When does a concert turn into entertainment?

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Marmie (Birmingham, May 1998 – London, April 11, 2017)

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Anne Ku

“My cat died last night,” I texted my friend who owns four dogs and two cats in Denver.

“I didn’t know you had a cat,” she responded.

“I don’t. I gave him away years ago.”

I can’t remember when exactly I gave him away — 2001? 2002? 2003?

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Sustainability reporting: acronyms and concepts

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Anne Ku

Whenever I enter a new field, I easily get stopped by acronyms. While I’m trying to figure out what the abbreviations stand for, another acronym gets fired at me. Even if I’ve deciphered the acronym, I’m dumbfounded by the jargon. I need to define and understand new terminology in the context of the subject domain. Until these two barriers (acronyms and vocabulary) are overcome, I can’t begin to hold an intelligible conversation in that discipline.

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Electric vehicles in paradise: the newspaper column that was

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Anne Ku

Four years ago, I started writing my first newspaper column: EV in Paradise for Maui Weekly, the free local paper with a website. A year later, funding for the electric vehicle project ended. The project produced several substantial reports: planning report (2012), report by DBEDT,  EV in Paradise brochure (2013), and  final management report (2014) as well as a chapter in an EV business model book (2015).

Nine months after the project ended, the newspaper folded. The website disappeared overnight. What happened to those articles?

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My Thai after five days with Chef June – Thai Food Made Easy

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Anne Ku

When I first connected with my high school classmate June Verburg on Facebook, I couldn’t believe how good she looked. She must have photoshopped herself, I concluded. So I planned a trip to see her and find out for myself.

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